So I am going to buy an engagement ring today. I narrowed it down to 3 rings. Looking for some feedback from you guys on them, preferably from our female members. Couldn't tell you what her tastes are, I always bought her stones in the past.

I bought my rings from Zales.. NIGHTMARE experience. I have bought a lot from there and only had that one horrible experience . but when I researched them a lot of people had alot of the same issues I had with them..

GET THE PROTECTION plan. I did and very thankful that I did.. This was a painless experience.

If you can't get what she likes before you propose then maybe after you propose you can give her the choice to take it back and get something similar if she likes. You can also talk to her friends to get an idea if you can trust them being quite. Some woman like to wear the engagement ring with the wedding ring. If that is something your woman might like to do then keep that in mind when picking a ring.

Also, do not be afraid to try to push the price down. Jewelery has a high markup and they will go way down if you haggle them. You can get them to drop the price down even if there is a current discount. You can go from store to store to compare prices and rings and make sure the sales person knows that. That way they are more likely to try to get your business by giving you a percentage of the jewelry.

Usually they have an insurance you can buy that is a one time fee and will replace damaged or lost jewelry. The insurance usually requires an annual inspection which is a pain in the ass and over time you will forget to do. If you do not do the inspection it will void the insurance. So keep that in mind before buying the insurance. Some places will still do the inspection even though you missed it. As long as nothing is damaged or mission they will update the insurance and sign off the inspection.

the markup is huge!!! do you know what diamond cut she likes does she have sisters or a really good friend to ask the cut style that she likes ... princess etc.... just saying .. the cuts matters the price also ring size you can use a ring she has already that she is not wearing .. just trying to help

I shopped around for one earlier this year, and there are two pieces of advice that I can give you.

Do not get a princess cut diamond. It is the easiest cut to do. Gemologists literally learn to cut diamonds with this cut. Princess cut diamons are generally the worst ones in terms of quality that you can get. That's why they gave it a name that would attraction more attention. In my opinion, go with a round-cut. It's THE classic cut for a diamond ring, and it will never go out of style. So go with that one, unless your significant other explicitly stated they wanted another cut. (And if they said they wanted a princess-cut, get them to change their mind)

Do not buy a diamond or buy from a jeweler that is not AGS certified. Otherwise, you could be (read: probably are) paying way more money for a diamond than what you should be. A diamond certified by the AGS will get an appraisal that is guaranteed, no matter where you go. A certified jeweler is basically a jeweler that stands behind all of their diamonds. The AGS can and does randomly visit these jewelers, select any number of diamonds on display, and appraises them. If a certified jeweler misrepresents any of their diamonds, the AGS will revoke that jeweler's certification. I would never buy from a jeweler that is not certified with the AGS. Zales, Hannoush, Jareds, Kays are not certified. In CT, the only close certified dealer is Michael's, and that is the only place I would buy one. But Michael's is a local jeweler. I don't know what is out there in IL.

As for the style to get, that is totally up to the person receiving it. If you don't know what they want, ask. Or, shop for the ring together. Trust me, you don't want to spend thousands of dollars on a ring that they hate or find unattractive.